Donald Trump-Jeffrey Epstein statue at National Mall is back on public display after being removed last week

The infamous statue showing chairperson Donald Trump and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein skipping together while holding hands has been re-erected at the National Mall. The controversial installation first appeared at the National Mall on September 23, in front of the US Capitol.

It was put in place by an organization called ‘The Secret Handshake’ and was inspired by rumors of a close friendship in the past between Trump and Epstein. However, the statue, named ‘Best Friends Forever’, was removed on September 24 by the National Park Service (NPS), CNN reports.

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Now, the statue is back in place, despite having been damaged, and has been renamed as ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’ The Department of the Interior, under which NPS operates, told CNN that the statue was removed “because it was not compliant with the permit issued.”

However, according to ‘The Secret Handshake’, the permit was renewed on September 30. A plaque placed between the figures of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein has a text that is headlined: ‘In Honor of Friendship Month’. The rest of the text reads:

“We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend,’ Jeffrey Epstein.”

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Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was known to be close to several prominent personalities spanning various fields such as politics, entertainment, and business. However, what sort of proximity existed between him and Trump is a matter of debate.

Donald Trump’s camp has denied that the two were close friends. An NPR report says that, as per Trump, the two individuals drifted apart before Epstein’s indictment for soliciting prostitution in 2006. He also claims that the reason the relationship between the two soured was the poaching of Trump’s employees, especially women working in his Mar-a-Lago spa, by Epstein.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told NPR that “it's not news that Epstein knew Donald Trump, because Donald Trump kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep.”

The statue is permitted to remain at the National Mall till 8 PM on October 6.

An organization called The Secret Handshake is responsible for installing the statue of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein at the National Mall.

The Secret Handshake is an organization that is known for using satire and public installations to put forward its criticism of US political life. It has erected statues taking potshots at politicians in the past as well.

Trump and Epstein did know each other, but the extent and timeline of their relationship is unclear. Trump maintains that they had a falling out before Epstein’s sex crimes started emerging.

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